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A World of Energy
Lesson Objective
: Teach the students about renewable energy and why it is important.
Concepts
: Renewable and non-renewable energy
The Challenge
: To have students participate in a class discussion on renewable energyand complete the related worksheets.
Materials
:
 
Visual aides of various energy sources
Vocabulary
:
 
Energy – ability to do work 
 
Renewable energy – from sources that cannot be used up
 
Solar energy – from sun
 
Fuel – something used to make energy
 
Appliance – a device used in a house that uses electricity.
Procedure
:E
 NERGY
EVIEW
: What is the source of energy used by humans? What kind of food doyou like to eat to get energy? Are there some types of food that give more energy thanothers? What other things eat food for energy? What other ways do we use energy in our daily lives? Can you list some of the things that need energy to work? As you can see,energy powers much of our daily lives. Humans need energy in the form of food tosurvive. Many other things that we use every day also need energy to work, but they donot use our food for energy. Instead, they require other types of energy.E
 NERGY
S
OURCES
: Hand out Energy Sources Worksheet (students can view whendiscussing various sources). Ask the students to list other sources of energy such as fossilfuels (coal, natural gas, oil) and nuclear. How do these sources help us in our daily lives?We have two different types of energy, renewable and non-renewable. Some sources arecalled nonrenewable because they have limited supplies. For example, Petroleum, or oil,was created millions of years ago from dead plants and animals. It cannot be reproducedin a short amount of time. What’s bad about these types of energy? They create pollution and will eventually run out. Ask about how we extract many of these resources.Explain about what the production of energy from each source entails.A
CTIVITY
: Complete Energy Sources Worksheet and discuss.
ENEWABLE ENERGY
: Renewable energy is energy that comes from sources that areavailable in the natural world and cannot be used up. Renewable sources, including biomass (trees and other plants), geothermal, hydropower, solar energy and wind energy,are replenished in a short time. For example, the sun shines and the wind blows almostevery day. Trees and plants only need a few years to grow. Because they do not
 
disappear once we use them, these sources are renewable. Explain each one. Teach thestudents the movements for each energy source (attached). Why is it important?A
CTIVITY
: Complete the Renewable Energy Worksheet. Discuss the results.A
CTIVITY
: Talk about how much of the energy we use in the United States comes fromrenewable/nonrenewable sources: get 10 students to stand at the front of the room torepresent people who use renewable/nonrenewable energy. Ask the rest of the class toguess how many of the students should stand on the nonrenewable side and how manyshould stand on the renewable side. (The correct answer is 9.5 on the nonrenewable side)S
OLAR 
E
 NERGY
: Talk specifically about solar energy. How much energy does the sun produce? What allows solar energy to be used as fuel?
Activities
:Global Energy Sources as Percentages of Total
 
Petroleum - 38%
 
 Natural Gas - 23%
 
Coal - 23%
 
Uranium - 8%
 
Biomass - 3%
 
Hydropower - 2.7%
 
Propane - 2%
 
Geothermal, solar and wind - .3%Q: Why did the foolish gardener plant a light bulb?
 A: He wanted to grow a power plant.
Q: How did Benjamin Franklin feel when he discovered electricity?
 A: He was shocked!
 
Q: How is energy conservation like a baseball team?
 A: They can both use a switch hitter.
Q: How are renewable power plants like people who like to go to the beach?
 A: They all like sun, wind, and water.
Q: What is a renewable energy source that is used every day at your school?
 A: Brain power!
 
 
 
Wrap-Up and Sharing
:
 
What is the difference between renewable and non-renewable energy?
 
What are some types of renewable energy?
Resources and Credits
:
 
Princeton Engineering Education for Kids.: http://www.princeton.edu/~peek/
 
Energy Source Information: www.need.org
 
Worksheets: www.need.org
 
Riddles: http://www.eia.doe.gov/kids/energy_fungames/riddles/index.html
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